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jointline

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  1. A bit off topic but a similar freight, fresh cut flowers, were sent by rail from the nurseries around Cowley Middlesex to the London markets via the Metropolitan at Uxbridge, mostly in the evenings for the next morning markets. This was pre-1939. Can't find the source for this at the moment of course, but will keep looking....
  2. This rather bad picture I took in 1962 shows the vegetation already established, and would probably almost foul the passenger stock. But I think (although don't know for sure) that the railcar never went (was allowed?) further along, it just reversed. Somebody will know better than me!
  3. Many thanks for this link! Wish I could have afforded colour film in those days, could barely afford black and white! Completely off-topic, but the clerestory and four wheelers shown at Hayes (I have identical pictures in B & W) were there for the re-signalling scheme in the early sixties. I always show them to modellers who want four wheelers in BR livery!
  4. Chris, here's another one with STAINES rather than STAINES WEST on the destination blind, taken July 1961.
  5. Others will know more than me, but I believe the GWR suburban services through to Liverpool Street ceased on the outbreak of war in 1939, and were never resumed. Engine change (to Met electric locos) was at Bishops Road, Paddington.
  6. I agree, but it just seems inconsistent (Greenford, Henley and Marlow all showed through trains to Paddington by the note T) so why not Uxbridge and Staines. After all, presumably timetables are meant to inform and encourage the travelling public. Not putting Paddington (or Reading) in the station bank meant that the punter had to then look at another page to see when their connection would be. Or possibly they were working on the assumption (as I was informed by a senior manager) that nobody would travel from either Uxbridge or Staines to London by WR as there were better alternative services.
  7. Interesting! But Table 51 (Staines Branch) in the WR Public Timetables doesn't show this as a through train, although Table 50 (Reading to Paddington) has a note "8.5 am from Staines" against the 8.28 from West Drayton. Neither does it show this as 1st and 2nd Class from Staines, so wonder if a ticket would/could gave been issued for 1st class travel?!! (Given this branch was advertised as 2nd Class only). Typical of the time in that there was very little promotion of these branches, even when they could offer a potentially attractive service.
  8. Spot on! In the absence of working timetables often the best indication of train formation around this area is the presence or absence of 1sf or 2nd class accommodation. Eg the train leaving West Drayton at 0405 in the morning in 1960 was advertised as 2nd class only, so was likely to be an auto-train/single car. 1st class on the Uxbridge branch meant either a five car suburban set, or 117 unit. These were busy hours only. Curiously there was a break in trains between West Drayton and Uxbridge between 1000 and 1600 on weekdays. I remember the driver of Staines railcar being annoyed as I once got off at Yeoveney on the down trip (to take photographs) and then stopping him on the return trip to get back on! The only time I remember the train to Staines being busy was a Saturday morning, and that was in GWR railcar days.
  9. Oh absolutely, I was thinking more of Staines/Uxbridge.
  10. Just as a general comment, the formation mentioned (3car +1+1) was exceedingly uncommon, if not unique, and I can't ever recall seeing it (although I would have been on the way to school at the time of this particular one!) 3 car 117s were common on the Uxbridge branch. The driving trailers were also phased out quite quickly in my recollection (although perhaps somebody has better memory than me). Traffic on the Staines line rarely needed anything other than a single car.
  11. The 1951 public timetable, the only one I have to hand, doesn't give any through trains, but they were notoriously short on detail. Often, as Chris says, the auto-trains from both Uxbridge and Staines went to the West Drayton Bay and then went on to Southall or Paddington; I can remember travelling in one back to Hayes on a Sunday lunchtime. With regard to a book, Chris Turner (who is author of many books published by Wild Swan) contacted me about forty years ago saying he was putting a book together, and I sent him a dozen or so pictures of the buildings on the line. Perhaps it was well known that he was putting a book together, so nobody else bothered? As has been mentioned above, Chris Leigh is the real authority. He has a blog page, and there are pictures of his N gauge Staines West. (https://www.model-rail.co.uk/online-features/chris-leigh-blog/'n'-gauge-progress/ and here: https://www.model-rail.co.uk/online-features/chris-leigh-blog/countrystyle/) There are some useful pictures of West Drayton in "Railways to Uxbridge" by C T Goode. If you need pictures of any of the buildings, particularly at Staines West, I may be able to help. Here's one of the daily goods running round its train at Colnbrook: because the points extended across road the gates had to be closed for such shunting movements.
  12. And be sure to post some pictures when it's finished! Sounds fascinating!
  13. Talking off the top of my head.......but Certainly have read this elsewhere about the 94xx class, in terms of being ergonomically imperfect! Also have read that Hawksworth was keen to involve drivers in designing locomotives, so something obviously went amiss here. The 94s were basically 22xxs with side tanks, so did the cab layout change I wonder, or did they use a tender engine cab layout for a tank engine without realising the implications.
  14. Re: storage uncovered. Those who go to the coasts in Spain and Portugal will be familiar with the "Salt mountains" as the salt obtained from sea water evaporation is stored outdoors. It seems to form a crust left this way, so although there may be some loss, it is not great. During preparation for the table the salt crystals are washed, which sounds strange at first, but does not last sufficiently long to dissolve much salt. (the residue is re-evaporated).
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